The Michigan Education Association (MEA), headquartered in East Lansing, Michigan, is a labor union representing more than 157,000 teachers, faculty and education support staff throughout the state.[1] Usually referred to as a “teachers' union” its membership also includes college faculty, public school custodians, bus drivers, and paraprofessionals, among others. It represents people working in neighborhood public schools, those in charter schools as well as school employees working for private companies.
While MEA works to serve its members’ employment goals, it also promotes public education. It sees these goals as closely related.[2] Through policies put in place by its elected Board of Directors, MEA advocates for polices it judges to be best for student success, for civil rights and for the quality of life for all. Its mission statement states: “The mission of the MEA is to ensure that the education of our students and the working environments of our members are of the highest quality." Like other public sector unions, the MEA has come under fire in recent years for its defense of teacher employment protections. Controversy over the role of the MEA is part of a wider debate on the structure[3] and funding[4] of public education in Michigan and around the United States.[5][6]
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MEA was founded in 1852 as the Michigan State Teachers Association, five years before the National Education Association was organized, becoming the Michigan Education Association in 1926. Today it is the largest public employee union in the state and the third largest education association in the United States.
In 1937 the MEA’s governing body, the Representative Assembly, authorized the development of a group hospitalization program.[7] This was one of the first such health care programs in the United States. Two years later, the Hoosier Casualty Company provided coverage for MEA members, administrated by local insurance agent Herman Henkel.
Michigan law forbade the MEA from acting as an agent for its members, so when Henkel retired in 1960, it was decided that a separate non-profit corporation would serve this function, and Michigan Education Special Services Association (MESSA) was born. 10,000 MEA members were enrolled at the time.
Tax-exempt under IRS 501(c)(9), MESSA qualified as a “voluntary employees’ beneficiary association” and could therefore offer group term life, health, and dental coverages, among others, to its members.
When the Michigan bargaining law was enacted in 1965, public school employees were able to organize into local bargaining units to negotiate salary, benefits and other working conditions. Insurance became a bargainable issue.[8] In 1984, MEA merged with the Michigan Educational Support Personnel, making MEA one of the first state associations to represent both teachers and other school personnel. In 2007, MEA membership exceeded 160,000.[9]
Iris Salters was elected president in February 2006. She had served as vice president of the association since 1999.
Salters earned an undergraduate degree from Western Michigan University in speech pathology, teaching of educable mentally impaired, and secondary education. She holds two master’s degrees from Western, one in teaching the disadvantaged and the other in middle school education. Salters was employed by Kalamazoo Public Schools for 25 years as a special education classroom teacher, consultant and speech pathologist. She was then elected president of the Kalamazoo Education Association/Kalamazoo Public Schools, a position she held from 1992-1999.
Steven B. Cook was first elected vice president of MEA in April 2006. Cook had served as secretary-treasurer of the association since 1991. Cook was a paraprofessional for 15 years in Lansing Public Schools, worked as a community school coordinator, home/school liaison in the elementary attendance project and in alternative education. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University with emphasis in history, economics and political science.
Peggy McLellan was elected secretary-treasurer of MEA in April 2006. McLellan was a high school teacher from Reese, where she taught English and science for 32 years. McLellan held several offices in the Reese Professional Education Association, including president.
McLellan served for 10 years on the MEA Board of Directors. She was president of the Michigan Education Special Services Association Board of Trustees. She earned a master’s degree from Central Michigan University.
Luigi “Lu” Battaglieri became executive director of the MEA in February 2006. He had served as president of the association since 1999.
Prior to his election as president, Battaglieri was president of MEA/NEA Local 1 which represents school employees in Wayne and Macomb counties. He also served as a member of the MEA and the NEA boards of directors. Battaglieri was a regional director for the National Council of Urban Education Associations, and has served on numerous other committees and task forces at the state and national levels.
Battaglieri taught social studies, math and computer classes as well as classes for at-risk students in the Fraser public schools from 1974 to 1992. An alumnus of Michigan State University with undergraduate and master’s degrees, Battaglieri did his student teaching in Rome, Italy, at the Overseas School of Rome.[10]